Liam stood in the middle of the empty office, hands resting on his hips, eyes still moving over the bare walls like he expected sothing to suddenly appear if he stared long enough. The silence in the room felt unnatural, heavy in a way that made his skin itch.
He finally looked at Irina. "If sothing is cleared out like this," he asked calmly, "where do they even take it?"
Irina crossed her arms and exhaled through her nose. "Officially? Storage. Evidence lockers, archive rooms, sealed units in the basent." She shook her head slightly. "But I doubt it will be there."
Liam tilted his head. "Because?"
"Because whoever did this didn’t want anything traced," she replied. "Storage rooms have logs. Nas. Ti stamps. Too risky."
"So," Liam said slowly, "we have no clue where to find Leonid’s house."
Irina didn’t answer right away. She turned and walked toward the window at the far end of the office. The glass overlooked the city, gray buildings stretching into the distance, traffic crawling below like veins pumping life through concrete. She rested her palm against the glass, eyes narrowing as she thought.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then Irina straightened slightly. "Hold on," she said. "I might have an idea."
Liam looked at her. "I’m listening."
"There’s a girl in the finance departnt," Irina said. "Vera. She had a thing for Leonid before he died. Not subtle either. Everyone knew."
Liam raised an eyebrow. "And you think she knows where he lived."
"I’m sure of it," Irina replied. "People like her don’t just crush quietly. She would’ve visited him. Or at least talked about it. Address. Neighborhood. Sothing."
A slow smile tugged at Liam’s mouth. "Brilliant. Let’s go et her."
Irina shook her head imdiately. "Not we."
Liam frowned. "What do you an not we."
She turned fully toward him now, expression flat. "You’re going alone."
He blinked. "I’m sorry, what?"
"You heard ," Irina said. "You go. You talk to her. You get the house location out of her."
Liam stared at her for a mont, then let out a short, humorless laugh. "And how the fuck am I supposed to do that?"
Irina shrugged one shoulder. "I don’t know. Figure it out."
"That’s your plan?" he asked. "Just figure it out?"
"Charm her," Irina added casually. "Or sothing."
Liam dragged a hand through his hair and sighed. "You’re unbelievable."
"You’re effective," she shot back. "That’s different."
He looked at her for a long second, clearly weighing his options, then exhaled. "Fine. What’s her na again?"
"Didn’t you hear say it just now?! Vera!"
"Okay, genius," Liam said dryly. "Any last na?"
Irina was already walking toward the door. "No need."
He followed her, confused. "What do you an no need?"
She stopped, turned slightly, and pointed down the hallway. "Just look for a woman with white hair in the finance departnt," she said. "She’s the only one."
Liam stared at her. "That’s it?"
"That’s it."
He let out another sigh, longer this ti, and shook his head. "Unreal."
They stepped out of the empty office together. Liam pulled the door carefully behind them. Since the handle was broken, he adjusted it just enough to make it look closed, not forced. Anyone glancing at it wouldn’t notice anything wrong unless they tried to open it.
Irina watched him do it, then nodded once. "Good."
Liam didn’t respond. He turned and walked down the hallway, boots echoing softly against the floor. He didn’t look back. He went down the stairs, each step bringing him closer to noise, voices, movent.
The main hall of the station swallowed him whole.
It was crowded, loud, and alive. Officers moved in clusters. Phones rang nonstop. Papers were passed back and forth. Raised voices argued over reports and tilines. A few civilians sat on benches, anxious, tired, scared. The air slled like coffee, sweat, tal, and old walls that had seen too much.
Liam moved through it all without hesitation.
People glanced at him as he passed. So looked twice. Others frowned, trying to place him. His height, his build, the calm confidence in his walk made him stand out even when he didn’t try to.
He reached the front counter where two won were working through stacks of files.
"Excuse ," Liam said politely.
One of them looked up. "Yes?"
"I’m looking for the finance departnt," he said. "Could you point in the right direction?"
She glanced at him briefly, then pointed to a door on the far right side of the hall. "Through that door," she said. "Then down the corridor."
"Thank you," Liam replied.
She nodded and went back to her work.
Liam turned toward the door she indicated. As he walked, he felt that familiar sensation again. Eyes. Not supernatural this ti, just curiosity. He ignored it.
He reached the door, paused for half a second, then pushed it open and stepped inside.
The finance departnt was quieter than the main hall. Still busy, but more controlled. Desks lined both sides of the room. Computers humd. Papers were neatly stacked. People worked with focused expressions.
Liam scanned the room slowly.
White hair.
He spotted her almost imdiately.
She sat near the far end, pale hair pulled back loosely, standing out sharply against the darker tones around her. She was focused on her screen, unaware she had just beco the most important person in the building.
Liam adjusted his posture, straightened slightly, and headed in her direction.
Liam walked up to her desk without rushing, stopping just close enough to be noticed but not enough to feel intrusive. He cleared his throat softly.
"Hey," he said politely. "Can I sit here?"
Vera didn’t respond at first.
She looked up with the bored, half-dead expression of soone who had been staring at numbers for hours. Then her eyes landed on his face.
And froze.
Her pupils widened slightly. Her lips parted without sound. For a full second, maybe two, she just stared at him, completely still, like her brain had short-circuited.
Liam noticed imdiately.
He almost smiled.
"Hey," he said again, waving his hand slowly in front of her face. "You still with ?"
That snapped her out of it.
She blinked rapidly, coughed once in embarrassnt, then straightened in her chair. "S-sorry," she said quickly. "I didn’t an to stare."
"It’s alright," Liam replied easily, his tone warm and relaxed.
He pulled the empty chair beside her desk and sat down gently. If soone were close enough to see his face, they would have caught the faint grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. He could feel it already. The shift. The interest. The hook had sunk in the mont she looked up.
After settling in, he extended his hand casually. "Liam."
Vera glanced at his hand like it might disappear if she didn’t act fast. She reached out and shook it, her grip light and careful, almost hesitant, like she was afraid of doing sothing wrong.
"Vera," she said, her voice softer now.
"How can I help you?" she asked, straightening in her seat, suddenly alert, suddenly invested.
Liam let out a quiet sigh and leaned back slightly, letting his shoulders drop as if carrying weight. "I’m having a bit of trouble," he said. "And I was told you’re the only person who might be able to help ."
Her reaction was imdiate.
"Oh," Vera said, sitting up straighter. "Of course. If I can help, I will. What do you need?"
Liam hesitated just enough to make it feel real. His gaze dropped briefly to the desk, then lifted back to her, eyes softer now.
"A long-ti friend of mine," he said, "Leonid... he lost his life four days ago."
Vera’s face changed.
The warmth faded. Her lips pressed together. Her eyes flickered away for a mont before returning to him.
"I just arrived in the city," Liam continued calmly. "I went to his office hoping to find sothing. Anything. But it’s been completely cleared out."
He paused, watching her carefully.
"I heard the two of you were very close before he died."
The words hung between them.
Vera swallowed.
"We were," she said quietly.
Liam didn’t rush her. He let the silence do its work.
"He was... different," she continued after a mont. "Quiet. Focused. Not many people understood him."
"But you did," Liam said gently.
She nodded. "I tried to."
Her fingers tightened slightly around a pen on her desk. "Why are you asking?"
Liam t her eyes again. "Because I need to find his place. I want to pay my respects properly. And right now, I don’t even know where he lived."
Vera hesitated.
"I’m not supposed to give out personal information," she said. "Especially after..."
"I understand," Liam replied quickly. "I’m not asking as a stranger. I’m asking as soone who cared about him."
Her gaze lingered on his face again. Longer this ti. Searching. asuring.
"You really knew him?" she asked.
"Yes," Liam said simply. "Long before I ca here."
That seed to ease sothing in her.
She leaned back slightly, exhaling. "Leonid didn’t have many friends," she said. "Most people just tolerated him."
A faint sadness crept into her voice. "He trusted very few."
"And you were one of them," Liam said.
Her lips curved into a small, almost shy smile. "I suppose."
She glanced around briefly, making sure no one was listening, then lowered her voice. "He lived alone. Small place. Quiet area."
Liam kept his expression neutral, though his attention sharpened instantly. "Do you know where exactly?"
Vera hesitated again, fingers tapping lightly against the desk. "Why does it matter so much to you?"
"Because he deserves to be rembered," Liam replied without missing a beat. "Not erased."
That did it.
Her shoulders softened. "They’ve been trying to bury everything about him," she said quietly. "The reports. The circumstances. Even his na."
Liam nodded. "That’s why I’m here."
She looked at him for a long second, then reached for her keyboard but stopped herself.
"I shouldn’t," she said softly.
"But you will," Liam replied just as softly.
She t his gaze again, conflicted.
"I cared about him," she admitted. "More than I should have."
"I know," Liam said. "And that’s why I ca to you."
Vera’s jaw tightened slightly. She looked down, then back up.
"He lived on the outskirts," she began slowly. "Not far from the old residential blocks."
Liam leaned in just a little, attentive but not pressing.
"I can write it down," she said. "But you didn’t get it from ."
Liam nodded once. "Of course."
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